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In Pursuit of Silvia, an ART WOW/Bare Bones Theatre production

The play reveals its power in the way it is presented, bare bones. Without set decoration, costumes and props. There is a closeness that you cannot feel in a movie or in front of a big screen TV, being at arm’s length from each actor. There is a discussion right after the play where you can talk about your experience with the performers. It reminds you that art is all about humanity and its imperfections which makes this play fresh. Seeing it in Sandra Jones Campbell's painting studio, an attraction on its own, only enhances the intimacy of this experience.

Why you want to see this play? For playwright Lojo Simon’s witty script, the sing-along music of Jason Feddy and the cast’s odd, funny scenes that are being performed as a table-read. You want to see this play because it makes you feel good. It is little rehearsed and screw-ups get the biggest laughs. If you prefer theatre to be Playhouse perfection, the grammy level music of Jason Feddy and the exceptional comedic performance of Rachel Rosenfeld makes the show worth your time.

My only gripe, I find Bare Bones limits itself by defining the play high school and college focused, with an educational slant being Shakespearean. Classifying it as such defeats its purpose. Kids over 10 don’t like things made for kids and adults might judge it as too banal for their taste. Never did such limiting description enter my mind during the play. In my opinion there is only art that works or does not. This play works, and it works well in all it supposed to deliver.

Now in its third year, Bare Bones Theatre has carved out its niche where actors and audience experience plays in their raw infancy. It demonstrates why the arts are important. If you want to have an uplifting experience that Netflix can not offer yet, enjoy this live performance and support this Laguna grassroot art movement. Expect more Bare Bones in the fall of 2018.